Liverpool buildings will light up turquoise to support International Day for People with Disabilities

Liverpool’s St George’s Hall and Liverpool Town Hall will light up in recognition of United Nations International Day for People with Disabilities on Sunday 3 December.

The buildings will shine in turquoise and yellow during the evening. On the same day, award winning and pioneering disability and Deaf arts organisation DaDa, based in Liverpool, present their annual Edward Rushton Social Justice Lecture named after the local poet, activist, abolitionist, and disabled man., which takes place at Museum of Liverpool on Sunday, 3 December from 1-3pm as part of their winter programme.

When disabled people were campaigning for anti-discrimination legislation in the mid 1990’s the colours of the campaign were turquoise and yellow. The campaign resulted in the 1995 Disability Discrimination Act which has been superseded by the 2010 Equality Act.

The observance of the day aims to promote an understanding of disability issues and support the dignity, rights and well-being of persons with disabilities. It also seeks to increase awareness of gains to be derived from the integration of persons with disabilities in every aspect of political, social, economic and cultural life.

This year’s DaDa lecture is by the insightful and influential disabled artist Ashokkumar D Mistry will be exploring ‘Reclaiming Nonchalance’, a lecture challenging art world values to envisage the worth of Deaf Disabled and Neurodivergent artists working in their essential state. This year’s lecture addresses the mechanisms for valuing people, valuing everyone. Reclaiming Nonchalance is an invitation to activate ambition through the self-care of actively thinking beyond other people’s expectations.

The lecture will dissect artworld mechanics and interrogate how Deaf Disabled and Neurodivergent artists are valued. Ashok will be joined by panelists Kai Syng Tan (Artist / Agitator / Professor), Sonia Boué (Artist / Writer / Consultant) and Dr Linzi Stauvers (Acting Artistic Director, Education, Ikon Gallery, Birmingham) to discuss the topic.

The lecture is presented in conjunction with Disability Arts Online and will also be live streamed on the day and then made available on demand. Rachel Rogers and Ngozi Ugochukwu for DaDa said: “We are really pleased to find out that the city will join us on Sunday to light up key buildings in our city in recognition of The International Day of People with Disability and highlight the value of disabled peoples lives.

This coincides nicely with the closing of our winter programme and the return of our Edward Rushton Social Justice Lecture, and we are thrilled that our keynote speaker is the perceptive and provocative artist, writer, researcher, activist & curator, Ashokkumar D Mistry.

“His research scrutinises differences to expand our understanding of the human condition that includes impairment and disability. “We are thankful for the support of Liverpool City Council, the Museum of Liverpool and Disability Arts Online. We welcome everyone to come along to this free lecture highlighting disability as a social justice issue that all of society needs to address.”